Buoyant Gale demands strong finish
A 3-0 win over Fisher Athletic ensured safety for the Hawks - now manager Shaun Gale is keen for his side to push on and end their poor league campaign with a flourish.
'It has been a disappointing season for us in many aspects in the league but I feel we have turned the corner recently,' said Gale
'Our recent performances have been good. I told the players a fortnight ago after we lost at Hampton & Richmond Borough that I wanted to go unbeaten for the rest of the season and up until now we have done that.'
The south London visitors were there for the taking. If it wasn't bad enough that they were already doomed for relegation, and with their existence beyond the final day of the season in doubt, they also arrived late.
Their coach driver ended up at Moneyfields in Portsmouth having battled his way through the traffic heading for Fratton Park.
It looked as if the Hawks would have a field day when they exploited the situation to grab a second-minute lead through a well-worked goal.
Skipper Jamie Collins burst forward from midfield and fed Craig Watkins who crossed for Luke Medley to net from close range.
'We couldn't have wished for a better start,' said Gale.
'As players it is sometimes easy to approach this sort of game in the wrong frame of mind but that showed we didn't.
'There was a bit of a lull from that point but it is difficult when your opponents put 11 men behind the ball.
'The most important thing for me was the three points and clean sheet.
'It was a workmanlike performance from us.
'Fair play to them they turn up, play off the cuff and have some half-decent little players out there.
'You have to do a job on teams like that and with better finishing from us it would have been five, six, or seven.
'But we have been saying that all season.'
As half-time approached the Hawks re-established their authority and Luke Nightingale turned in Medley's cross at the near post to make it 2-0.
In the second half it should have been a cricket score but not for the first time this season the Hawks were guilty of squandering a succession of chances.
The best of the chances fell to Watkins in the 56th minute when he was sent clear by a slide-rule pass from Fogden.
The striker raced into the area but put his low shot was far too close to the keeper who managed to block the effort.
Watkins missed out again at the far post when Medley found him totally unmarked and the latter also hesitated when he had the chance to pull the trigger inside the area.
Eventually, in the 76th minute, Wes Fogden slid the ball through to Watkins who finally tucked his shot past the advancing goalkeeper to seal the victory.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 26 May 2012
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